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Emission Labs Tube Warranty Problems

Has anyone else had difficulty with EML tube warranty? I purchased a pair of their 300b 2.5 tubes (around $700) in late 2019. After about 6 months I started noticing an intermittent problem with one tube that exhibits a low level sputtering sound. The tubes were purchased through RAM Tubes one of their authorized dealers. When I reported it to the dealer I was told I needed to report it to EML directly. It turned that is impossible. Finally, I was told I needed to talk with the only distributor - JAC Music. So, I did. First I was told that I did not register for the warranty because it wasn't in their system. I did in fact go online and register but I expected an email confirmation but didn't get one. JAC refused to acknowledge that their registration system might have had a problem. Instead they treated me as if I was a lying cheat trying to get away with something. That was when I discovered there is no way to actually contact anyone at EML. At Jag's request I emailed a photo of the tube and gave him the details of my purchase. He denied I registered, that the serial number was not in their registration base but did contact RAM to confirm that I purchased from an authorized dealer. After that he sent me an email in September of last year (2020) that the tube should not have gone bad so soon and they would replace it BUT they had none in stock and I would have to wait for a new tube to be produced. And, that is the end of any further correspondence from JAC. Since then I have emailed him once a month, finally giving up in February. He has never responded to any subsequent emails. I actually had a moment of guilt thinking maybe COVID got him while I was fretting over my tube. But, no - I contacted RAM and they are still receiving their orders of EML tubes and so are other dealers. They all say the same thing - you need to contact Jac.  As you all know, a matched set of tubes is worthless when one is bad. I just wonder if anyone else has had a similar experience. I've simply given up and accepted that I was screwed out of $700. Frankly, they are very good tubes. I own others and have never had any problems with any of them - thank God. But, if anyone is considering buying their tubes, I suggest you ask the dealer what happens if you get a bad tube. I presume they will tell you, how have to contact JAC. Well, now you know how that worked out for one customer. I just had to get this off my chest. I'm so incredibly frustrated. 
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deutscherhififan's avatar
deutscherhififan
23 posts
 

Same experience here when a 300 tube failed. Jac went after Mick Maloney at Supratek claiming his design is faulty and caused the tube to fail. He wanted me to take pics of the inside of my amp, measure heater voltage, and other crap to prove his point. He really angered Mick and embarrassed me in the process. He is talking about Mick here, a guy who has been building preamps for 35 years. So, EML tubes are great when they work and I think very few fail. When they do fail don't expect to see a replacement, whether you registered for the extra 5 year warranty or not. I finally asked him to stop bothering Mick and withdrew my claim as it was clear he would never honor the warranty. Very sad business practice, but I guess he gets to keep a few more $$ in the process without any regard for the customers. 

plga
184 posts
 

Hi guys
Another pissed customer from EML.

I've got a defective EML 300B XLS and factory (Jac) denied the warranty claiming that my amp had a lower that recommended heater voltage ("3%" lower than the minimum recommended).

Every valve amp designer and valve distributor have told me that this lower voltage won't hurt the tubes at all and, as a proof, I have a pair of Shuguangs 300B WE Replica that have been working flawlessly since four years ago.

I bought EML as they offer a 5 year warranty, but they don't fulfill it claiming any excuse. Even if they were right, wich is not, they could have offered me another tube at a fraction of the cost and could have a satisfied customer on the forums.

Now I have a good working EML 300B XLS tube, with about 10 hs of use on a box, if anyone is willing to buy it with a 50% discount!  😁

sns
3,476 posts
 

First EML 300B failures I've heard of, and I've been observing for a long time.

 

@plga Lower heater voltage is NOT cause of that tube failure.  I lowered the heater voltage on my Coincident Statement pre based on recommendation of owner/designer of Coincident. I had multiple failures of various 101D tubes, not a single peep of noise, or failure since install of new heater resistors. The lower heater voltage should decrease plate voltage which should give you better 300B life. I'd go back to EML with information you've gleaned from the sources you mentioned and demand they honor warranty.

 

These warranty issues with EML will certainly impact my choice of 300B if I ever need replacments for my amp.

plga
184 posts
 

Thanks @sns for the answer, but I've tried as hard as I could and they denied it.

In fact, Jac did not like at all when I stated that other experts told me the same thing you are saying and not to mention when I said that my Shuguangs 300B have been working fine for years.

My advice, look somewhere else.

plga
184 posts
 

Maybe I won’t be able to recover any money and I will end up with just one working tube, if I cannot sell it at a lower price, but I will do my best to warn other people about EML warranty policies.

I think they are being far from clever making this stupid decision.

Let’s assume, even for a moment, that they were right and my amp broke the tube. I’ve paid more than a thousand dollars for the pair considering shipping and import taxes. How much does a new tube cost them on materials and labor? a very small fraction of what I spent for sure. If they had offered me to pay them that cost plus shipping the new tube, I would have done it happily and they would have a happy customer at zero cost. 

Even if they were right, wich is not true regarding several experts opinions, not mine, they could have made a much smarter decision.

Don’t buy from them. Other brands have much better warranty cover.

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